Deep Breath Everybody

Wow. What a hockey game. I’ve been searching through pictures that can accurately describe how good a hockey game took place tonight, but these only come close.

The atmosphere inside that arena tonight is everything I love about postseason hockey, and it flat out put the Joe to shame. Detroit may be “Hockeytown”, but what’s painted on the ice is pointless compared to the roar that crowd gave when Adam Hall played Plinko for the third goal.

That entire shift was just epic, and the overall theme of the game had that tone. Finally, the Penguins made a series out of it, and Detroit was anything but flat in the losing effort. This was two great teams playing at their respective apex, and it is a shame it took three games to get going.

I know everyone is going to rave about this game, but there is something so satisfying about watching a game that lives up to the hype. Back and forth action, battles all over the ice, broken sticks and helmets askew. It was the kind of hockey game you would never see in November, and with a frantic pace you only see in overtime at the very most.

Game Three may not be the most watched broadcast in NBC’s history, and the numbers are going to be big because of reasons already discussed. However, Game Three is the kind of hockey that builds a reputation, a word of mouth effect that movies want to spread so badly. The buzz from this game will reverberate until Saturday, and maybe, just maybe, people will tune in to see what all the fuss is about.

This Finals may not be the best ever, but finally, finally, it’s the series we hoped it would be.